1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of dishware, and more specifically, to a portable dish or plate to which a bowl, cup or similar item can be securely fastened.
2. Description of the Related Art
Before the invention described herein was introduced to the market, existing dishware did not provide a secure method of attaching a bowl and/or cup to a dish to avoid spilling of rood while eating, standing, sitting or moving from one place to another. Typical plates and bowls are not intended to be used without a table or similar flat surface underneath them. When a bowl is placed on a conventional plate, it can slide off, creating a mess or causing injury. The present invention resolves these problems by providing a dish-and-bowl or dish-and-cup combination in which the bowl or cup, as the case may be, is securely but removably attached to the dish. As used herein, the terms “dish” and “plate” are synonymous.
Other people have tried to solve the problem that is solved by the present invention, but these other inventions axe inferior to the present invention both structurally and functionally. One example is U.S. Pat. No. 2,960,251 (Mariotti, 1960). In this reference, the cup is placed on top of a saucer-like member (coaster), which is secured to the plate via an integral resilient strip that curves around the edge of the plate and underneath it. U.S. Pat. No. 3,250,422 (Parish, 1966) describes a cap and tray set in which the cup has a large cone-shaped recess underneath it, and the tray has an upwardly extending cone-shaped protrusion that fits into this recess. U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,462 (Cain, 1973) provides a nut-and-shell bowl combination in which the shell bowl has a central bore that fits over a central upstanding circular portion of the nut bowl.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,444 (Majewski, 1982) is another example of a plate-and-bowl combination, although the method of fastening the bowl to the plate is very different than in the present invention. In Majewski, the bowl is attached to the plate via a pivoting mechanism that allows the bowl to tilt. The interior of the bowl is segregated into partitions that allow one to keep liquid and solid substances separate from one another when the bowl is in a tilted position. The purpose of this invention is to keep cereal and milk separate, in order to maintain the crispness of the cereal, until a person is ready to eat it.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,737 (Patterson et al., 1991) involves a plate-and-glass assembly in which the glass is secured to the bottom surface of the plate, thereby preventing liquids from spilling out of the cap when it is attached to the underside of the plate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,111,960 (Zilliox, 1992) and U.S. Pat. No. RE34,703 (Zilliox, 1994) describe an interlocking plate and cup set in which the cup slides onto the plate via a slot in the plate that extends inwardly from the edge of the plate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,125 (Roberts, 1993) shows a plate with openings in the central portion of the plate for insertion of wine glasses, cups and the like. The wine glass slides into the plate via a slot that extends to the edge of the plate. The cup slides into the plate vertically and is held in place by a circumferential ridge around the cup that prevents it from sliding all the way through the opening in the plate. Alternately, the cup is tapered so that it will only slide so far through the opening in the plate and then stop when its width becomes wider than the width of the opening.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,070 (McSpadden, 1994) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,231 (McSpadden, 1995) disclose a portable food tray with recesses underneath the tray for the insertion of fingers to facilitate holding the tray. The tray also includes a recess for insertion of a cup, although the cup is not fastened to the tray by any means. U.S. Pat. No. 8,439,200 (Sorrells et al., 2013) provides a dining tray with a central T-shaped member and a pair of opposing L-shaped side members that engage rotated lateral members affixed to food containers (bowls and cups). U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2010/0224642 (Beeson et al.) discloses a rotatable display and server ensemble in which a centerpiece engages with a rotary turntable via snap fit interlocking components, threaded male and female features, key and socket, magnets, or combinations thereof.
Finally, U.S. Pat. Nos. D244,902 (Vonder Haar, 1977), D304,659 (Asner, 1989), D368,627 (McSpadden) and D623,019 (Wildman, 2010) cover designs for bowl-and-plate, bowl-and-bowl, and cup-and-plate combinations.